Mel Kiper doesn’t believe Bryce Young’s failures are his fault. Instead, the ESPN draft expert shifted the blame to the Carolina Panthers; which, as Kiper claims, didn’t properly protect a QB prospect whose only hope for success was having a clean pocket to operate.
“I think mishandled is the word,” Kiper said on ESPN’s Get Up on September 17 (h/t On3). “Because when you drafted Bryce Young, (you) knew he was an outlier. Russell Wilson was bigger, taller, but only 5’10 and three quarters, that opened it up for the 5’10 quarterback. But Russell Wilson was 205-208 (pounds) coming out, not 180. Kyler Murray, because of Russell Wilson, became the number one pick overall. Different body type to Bryce Young. So you knew Bryce Young, not only short, but small, diminutive quarterback, needed help, right?
“Also continuity, you draft a quarterback, everybody said he’s got this great infrastructure in Carolina around him with the head coach, the coordinator, the quarterback coach, everything there, the senior assistant. Everything’s in place. And then you see him beat CJ Stroud on the field as a rookie. You take out the three games he threw multiple interceptions, he was six touchdowns, three picks. Had some decent games last year.”
Bryce Young can thrive with the right pieces around him, as Nick Saban’s Alabama teams showed
Young lost three games, two by a field goal or fewer points, during his time in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban propped Young up into a Heisman winner and one of the country’s most potent dual-threat QBs.
Young was the No. 1 pick for a reason.
Carolina just doesn’t have the infrastructure to compete. It’s harder for an NFL franchise to establish a consistently top-performing offensive line, but the Panthers didn’t come close. 62 sacks in 2023 and six through two games isn’t sustainable and that certainly isn’t on Young.